2025 Pro Swim Series – Ft. Lauderdale: Six Storylines (& Some Bonuses) to Follow

2025 Pro Swim Series – Fort Lauderdale

• Wednesday, April 30 – Saturday, May 3, 2025
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

The third and last Pro Swim Series meet of the year sees the elite of US swimming turn their attention to southern Florida, as Fort Lauderdale plays host to the last big USA Swimming-organized meet before Nationals.

While the fields in Westmont and Sacramento were scrutinized for me being small, as both were affected by not only the post-Olympic breaks but also their proximity to the NCAA season, with the Sacramento stop being the week directly after Men’s NCAA.

That said, by all appearances, the field in Fort Lauderdale should suffer none of the criticisms that plagued the previous two stops, as the psych sheets are stacked. Seven individuals, representing 13 individual gold medals from Paris, are in the field—a fact as good as any to kick off our storylines.

“Not all that glitters is Gold…”

After being the poster child of his nation and the sport itself across the Olympics, Leon Marchand more than lived up to the expectations in Paris. He left La Defense Arena with four individual gold medals, taking top honors in the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly and sweeping both Individual Medleys. From such a high, nothing and no one seemed to be able to stop the French star.

He jumped from the Olympics into the World Cup series, winning the triple triple crown, sweeping the 100, 200, and 400 IM events at all three stops, including breaking the 200 IM World Record set back in 2012 by Ryan Lochte. However, his speed didn’t carry over to the 2024 Short Course Worlds, as the only thing able to stop his momentum turned out to be himself, as he withdrew from the meet, citing fatigue and later revealing a subluxated shoulder.

In the new year, Marchand took to sunnier climes, heading to Australia to train with Dean Boxall at St. Peters Western, with a special focus on improving his freestyle. However, again, he was beset by an injury, this time a stress fracture on one of his ribs.

Since then, Marchand has returned to his training base in Austin, Texas, and is expected to make his return to competition this week. In speaking to L’Equipe, Marchand stated his reasons for making his return to racing at this meet. “I really want to,” he told the paper, “There’s going to be a pretty high level [of racing], with lots of American swimmers, but I have no idea where I am or where I’m going. I’m training because I want to work, to get back to my level a little, to get back to my routine. But this step will help me.”

The Frenchman is entered in five individual events, the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, and 400 IM, all of which he is the reigning Olympic champion in, and the 200 and 400 frees. Marchand is skipping the 200 fly, where the Olympic bronze medalist, Ilya Kharun, is the top seed.

Marchand is naturally the top seed in all his events, save the freestyle ones. In the 200, the Frenchman sits 7th in the psych sheet with a time of 1:46.44, trailing Luke Hobson‘s 1:44.79. In the 400, Marchand ranks just 64th, but looks can be deceiving, as he is the top yards entrant, using his US Open record of 4:02.31 from the 2024 NCAA as his entry time.

On form, Marchand could easily contend with Hobson in the 200 free and with top-seeded Aaron Shackell in the 400, but as he stated in his interview, he has “no idea where I am or where I’m going.”

Are they off or new Events

Summer McIntosh, still a junior swimmer last summer, left the Olympics almost equalling Marchand’s four golds, falling just short in the 400 free, where she collected her only silver of the meet, placing behind Ariarne Titmus 3:57.49 to 3:58.37. Now 18, McIntosh, unlike Marchand, has kept up with racing over the intervening months. In Budapest, again, she nearly earned a quartet of individual golds as she claimed wins in the 400 free, 200 fly, and 400 IM.

In fact, they weren’t just wins, but all three were new world records, with the 400 IM win of particular note as she smashed Mireia Belmonte Garcia‘s record by over four seconds. Her only individual loss of the meet came in the 200 backstroke, where in an “off” event, the Canadian superstar earned silver in a new World Junior and Canadian record of 1:59.96, finishing behind Regan Smith‘s World record of 1:58.04.

McIntosh did compete in Westmont, and picked up where she left off from the 2024 Worlds. She set a new PSS record in the 200 Fly, and she set a new US open record in the 400 IM. Swimswam reported that McIntosh, like Marchand was spending some of her training away from her home base in Sarasota, and in fact has recently extended her residency with CN Antibes in France.

Continuing the trend from her 200 backstroke in Budapest, McIntosh appears to be eschewing her Olympic events, in favor of off events, or perhaps she is just expanding her line-up. As the world record holder in the 400 IM and the 3rd fastest 200 IM swimmer, any event McIntosh swims will benefit her, but with the edition of the 50s of stroke to the Olympic program, McIntosh, could see this as a chance to add some events to her line-up.

The Canadian appears on the psych sheet in the 200 backstroke, where she is the 4th seed, entered with a 2:06.81, trailing Smith’s 2:03.80. McIntosh is also entered in the 200 breaststroke (6th – 2:27.23) and in the 100 fly (4th – 57.19). The 100 fly is an interesting entry; it could be to help her 200 fly, where she has been the closest swimmer to breaking the supersuited record, but it also could be a strategic move, as with the recent retirements of Maggie MacNeil and Katarine Savard, McIntosh could be in line for a spot on the Canadian Medley Relay. Her entry time of 57.19 would have displaced Mary-Sophie Harvey (57.31) as the silver medalist at last summer’s Canadian Olympic Trials.

McIntosh isn’t completely running away from her Olympic events; however, as she enters the 400 free, she sets up what will be a mouth-watering and tantalizing duel with Katie Ledecky. Ledecky, finished in the bronze medal position in Paris, in an off time of 4:00.68, but will have pole position in the prelims in Fort Lauderdale as she is entered .02 ahead of McIntosh at 3:58.35.

Ledecky, the defending Olympic champion in the 800 and 1500 free, is seeded well ahead of the competition in those events but will face some stiff competition in her other events: the aforementioned 400 free, the 200 free, where she trails Penny Oleksiak, and Claire Weinstein and in the 400 IM, where Ledecky is seeded just 10th (4:44.20)

Return to the Big Pool

Their long course credentials are unimpeachable, but the transition to the big pool from the bathtub (said very affectionately) will be an interesting storyline.

Gretchen Walsh, the winner of the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly at the 2025 NCAAs, proved something last summer, as she not only earned a berth on the 2024 US Olympic Team but, in the process, shocked the world (and herself) with a world record in the 100 fly. After collecting four medals, two of them gold, in Paris, Walsh has nothing to prove, but it’ll still be interesting to see how she performs.

In the 50 and 100 free yards events, she is the undisputed queen, but in meters, she is the third seed in both events. In the 50 and 100 fly, Walsh leads the field but will have to tussle with the Olympic champion in both events, Torri Huske. Huske, too, is coming off a very successful NCAAs. While she finished runner-up to Walsh in the 100 free and 100 fly, Huske claimed victory in the 200 IM, out-touching Walsh’s sister, Alex. The trio of swimmers, all NCAA champions, are using Fort Lauderdale as their first meet back.

Whereas G. Walsh and A. Walsh are swimming their primary events, with the older sister taking on the 100 free, 50/100/200 breast, and 200 IM, Torri Huske, like McIntosh, is going for a wide range of events. The Stanford swimmer is the top seed in the 100 free, the #2 seed in the 50/100 fly and 200 IM, and 4th in the 50 free, but she also finds herself entered in the 100 breaststroke (#61), the 50 back (#11) and the 200 free (#18).

The trio aren’t the only ones as Jillian Cox, NCAA champ in the 500 and 1650 is in the unenviable position of trying to catch Ledecky in the 800 and 1500. Fellow double event winner Claire Curzan, too, finds herself in a tough position, going up against the likes of Regan Smith in the backstroke.

It’s not just Women’s NCAA champions making their return to long course. Luke Hobson, the NCAA champion in the 200 freestyle,e will take on the 50-400 freestyle. The top seed in the 200 free, the Olympic Bronze medalist, will have training partner Chris Guiliano, an Olympic gold medalist, right behind him.

While this is Hobson’s first foray into meters, his teammate Hubert Kos has already dipped his toe into the big pool. After climbing to the top of the podium in the 200 IM and 100/200 backs, the latter two in record fashion, Kos kept the momentum going setting new personal best in the 50/100 back, 100 fly and 200 IM at the Hungarian National Swimming Championships earlier this month. The two backstroke events notably clock in as new national records.

In Ft. Lauderdale, the 200-back Olympic Champion is entered in four events: the three he won at NCAAs and the 50-back.

For Whom the Bella Toll…

The 2025 NCAAs was a tough meet for Bella Sims. She entered as the defending champion in the 500 free and failed to make it back to the finals. A few weeks later, on April 1st, not an April Fool’s Day joke, she entered the transfer portal. While not a guarantee to transfer, reports are that Sims has returned to the Sandpipers of Nevada to train and, in fact, is entered under that team in the psych sheet. One of the more versatile swimmers, Sims, who was entered in 10 individual events at the US Olympic Trials, is seeded to swim in seven events this meet

• 100 Free (7th – 53.73)
• 50 Back (15th – 1:00.88)
• 200 Fly (16th – 2:12.41)
• 200 Free (4th – 1:55.45)
• 200 Back (14th – 2:11.39)
• 100 Back (14th – 1:00.88)
• 200 IM (7th – 2:12.15)

While she did end up pairing down her schedule in Indianapolis, it’ll be interesting to see what event she swim in Fort Lauderdale. Swimming at Florida, she seemed to enter as freestyler, but started to work on her IM and backstroke for the Gators. With the return to Nevada and training with the Sandpiper crew, will Sims revert back to her freestyle base or will she continue with other events, only time will tell.

It’s not too early…

In a sport such a swimming, any swimmer who missed out on the Olympic team already started thinking about the next Quad, and in fact some coaches probably already starting thinking about the L.A. Games before the 2024 team was even decided. In looking at the entries, there sems to be, more so on the women’s side a strong youth presence that is trying to make itself known.

It’s not a new phenomen, especially for the US women, Katie Hoff in 2004, Elizabeth Beisel in 2008, Katie Ledecky in 2012, Bella Sims in 2020 and Alex Shackell in 2024 (not an exhaustive list).

2024 Trials finalist Audrey Derivaux is one of those youths who is looking to break into the senior USA national team. After an 8th place showing in the 400 IM at Trials, Derivaux would go on to win the 100 fly and 200 fly and the Junior Pan Pacs, and poses a real threat in those events in Fort Lauderdale. Still 15, Derivaux is the 6th seed in both the 100 fly and 200 fly. She also adds a top eight seed in the 200 back (7th) and, like Huske and Sims, is scheduled for a busy meet with nine entries.

Derivaux is not the only junior swimmer threatening to burst through as Kayla Han, 16, holds four top eight seedings. The La Miranda Armada swimmer is the 5th seed in the 1500, the 6th seed in 800 and the 8th seeds in both the 400 IM and 400 Free. Han, who like Derivaux, was a trials finalist, finishing 4th in the 800 is an Indiana commit.

While the mens side, doesn’t too often see teenagers burst onto the Olympic scene, there are a few swimmers looking to potentially jump onto the Worlds team. Both entered as 18 years old and both trials finalist, Luke Ellis (4th – 15:00.24) and Will Mulgrew (15:12.63) are in the hunt for presumably one of the distance spots behind reigning gold medalist, Bobby Finke.

Age is but a Number

On the flip side, this Pro Swim Series sees the return of some of the USA’s stalwart team members, chief among them Caeleb Dressel. Dressel, who earned three medals, all relay, in Paris, is slated to make his return to competition this week. Entered in the 50/100 free and fly, all eyes will be on Dressel to assess what form he is in. While he hasn’t registered a swim since Paris, his competitors, like Kharun and Guiliano, are looking to keep up their momentum from their strong performances at NCAAs.

While Dressel has been away from the swimming spotlight, Simone Manuel jumped back into at the Westmont Pro Swim Series, claiming gold in the 100 free and 200 free, as well registering her first PB in the 100 fly in six years. Manuel, who made her Olympic debut, like Dressel in 2016, earned two medals in Paris, both on relays. Manuel, 28, is entered in six events and will take on her normal freestyle events, but has added the 50/100 fly and 50 backstroke to her event line-up.

Canada’s Kylie Masse, too, will too look to hold off the press of time, especially with McIntosh looking to make inroads into the 200 backstroke. Masse, the five-time Olympic medalist, is entered in the same three events she swam in Westmont: the 50s back and fly and the 100 back, skipping the 200 entirely.

Bonus Storylines

• Perhaps this deserved its own section, but regardless, it’ll get its due here and perhaps in a later article as well. This is the first high-level meet at which the 50s of stroke are official Olympic events, and with their inclusion, swimmers and sprinters especially may be holding on until the LA Games Trials. Masse swimming the 50 fly and back isn’t as unusual as she did so in Westmont. But Manuel entering the 50 back and Sims, as well, point to the change in their perception and importance. Lilly King is not entered in the 200 breast but rather has just entered (and is the top seed) in both the 50 and 100 breast.
• Seguing perfectly into the next storyline is the question of what will we see from Michael Andrew. A month ago, Andrew’s Olympic chances rested perhaps on the 100 breast and 50 free, but with the addition of the 50s of stroke, Andrew, a two-time medalist in the 50 fly at Worlds, seems to have gained multiple more bites at the proverbial apple. Andrew, who swam in both Westmont and Sacramento, hasn’t given up on the longer events and appears on the psych sheets in the 100 breast and 200 IM, but it certainly will be interesting to watch what he focuses on in the future.

Events to Watch

• M. 100 Breast – The field has a very international flavor, with Evgenii Somov and Denis Petrashov leading the way. With Nic Fink‘s future uncertain, Michael Andrew the 3rd seed (59.52) could see him regain his status as the top USA breaststoker, but 18 year old Campbell McKean (7th – 1:01.00) will be looking to toss his hat into the ring.
• W. 200 Free – Any event with relay considerations is bound to gain more scrutiny, but the Women’s 200 free takes the cake (in my opinion). It is a great generation battle between established veterans like Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel to those in their prime like recent World record setters Claire Weinstein and Katie Grimes to those looking to jump up into the spotlight like Madi Mintenko and Rylee Erisman. When you throw in Bella Sims and Penny Oleksiak, there are going to be several names on the outside of the 200 free final looking-in.
• M. 400 Free – One of the USA’s weaker events on the international stage, this meet may help serve as a stepping stone for some of the lesser-known names to put themselves into the mix. While Aaron Shackell and David Johnston lead the pack, seven of the top 16 swimmers are 18 years old or young, led by Norvin Clontz and Luke Ellis, who are separated by just .01 as the 6th and 7th seeds. With Lukas Martens breaking the magical super-suited record and being the first swimmer under 3:40, can any of the Americans take inspiration from that to help push Team USA into medal contention in the event in Singapore?